Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs) are one of the most efficient and safest thermal insulation products. Typically, a VIP includes a nearly gas-tight enclosure surrounding a rigid core, from which the air has been evacuated. Conventional insulation products used in buildings, vehicles, refrigerators, and freezers limit energy waste and dissipation of heat by restricting air flow through the core material. The VIP core outperforms other thermal insulation materials, such as hydroflourocarbons and polyurethane, in terms of its thin structure, minimal impact on human health and the environment, and high thermal resistant properties.
Fumed silica and aerogels are commonly used as the core material for VIPs because fumed silica and aerogels have molecular structures that inhibit gas flow by creating rarefied domain, and lower sensitivities to different pressures. In particular, fumed silica and aerogels have porous structures that when compacted under vacuum result in low thermal conductivity and thus, high thermal resistance R-values. Due to the low conductivity and high-insulating core material of fumed silica and aerogels, the VIP is one of the thinnest insulation products on the market.
Fumed silica and aerogels are expensive relative to other organic and inorganic materials used in other insulation products because manufacturing processes that impart a nanoporous and open-cell structure, in which is imparted on fumed silica and aerogel, are significantly cost intensive. However, most insulation products tend to be very thick and bulky to compensate for low R-values inherent in the core materials. Emissions from these preferred insulation products may also be a mechanical irritant and harmful to human health upon inhalation to the lungs or penetration into the eyes. Therefore, a need exists for a core material that is high performing, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, safe, and compliant with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.